The United States Supreme Court's recent decisions in Snyder vs. United States and Trump vs. U.S. have caused concern for many over the long-term implications of prosecuting government officials. Experts warn these two decisions could make it harder to pursue public corruption charges because of immunity granted for "official acts" and narrowing the scope of what is considered illegal gratuity.
I just do not believe a sentence anything less than the maximum reflects the seriousness of the crime. Public corruption brings damage far beyond the monetary loss to the county.